Processes and apparatus for the determination of parameters of breath condensates are known.
DE 199 51 204 A1 discloses a process and apparatus for the analysis of the contents of exhaled air, wherein a breath condensate produced from the exhaled air is subjected to analysis and the result displayed. The amount of breath condensate obtained from the exhaled air is measured and after achievement of a preselected sample amount a direct determination of the contained substances is carried out by measurement of individual and/or combined parameters by way of electro-chemical sensors. The amount is thereby that part which is captured in a filter or a storage layer, which is removed from a filter or a storage layer by a micro-dosing system, which causes a complete filling or saturation of a filter or a storage layer, or which diffuses through a filter or a storage layer.
It is a disadvantage of this and other solutions that their practical application in routine diagnostics is limited due to the need for concentration and measurement of very small amounts of materials. To this is added the danger of contamination of the sample, the disinfection cost after each analysis and the danger of infection.